Beat the Back to Work Blues

My friends who live at the shore year-round are celebrating the start of Locals’ Summer today, when the tourists are mostly gone and the weather is mostly fabulous, at least until a hurricane sneaks up the coast.

If you’re not celebrating the first day back to work after a long weekend or vacation, you’re in good company.

I stayed so long in a job that had become a bad fit that my Sunday Night Blues started on Saturday afternoon. The September before I left, I ugly cried so hard when a friend called with back to school good wishes, I was sobbing too hard to thank her.

It’s normal if going back to work after vacation makes you feel a bit off for a few days.

If you’re feeling stuck in a job that doesn’t fit any more and it’s making you too miserable to do anything about it, though, it’s time for a new strategy.

You’re Not Alone

According to Gallup’s latest research, 51% of U.S. employees – more than half – are actively searching for new jobs or keeping their eyes out for openings. If you’re headed toward “take this job and shove it,” here are three ways to boost your positivity and effectiveness where you are and cultivate the energy you need to figure out what’s next and start moving toward it.

Put Yourself in Others’ Shoes

Debbie Downer, Rachel Dratch’s Saturday Night Live character, was a hit, but the folks you work with neither want nor deserve to be stuck with your version of her at work.

When you feel yourself heading toward Debbie Downer territory, stop, beathe, and consider the impact you have on those around you when you whine and complain. Then put on some positivity, not to be a fake, but rather to be considerate and professional towards others at work.

Notice the Good

Even the worst job has some positive aspects, so instead focusing on what’s wrong, shift your lens a tiny bit every now and then toward the good.

Intentionally noticing the good is absolutely not pretending away the bad; it’s about calming and fueling your brain to give it more capacity to figure out what you really want and get more of it.

Get Clear About What You Really Want

Use the ease and mental energy you’re creating by intentionally noticing the good to start getting clear about what you definitely want in your next job.

It’s so easy to focus on what you don’t want, but so much more productive to get clear about what you do. Not to go all Law of Attraction on you, but you’re also more likely to get more of what you want when you’re crystal clear about exactly what it is.

Get More of What You Really Want

By putting yourself in others’ shoes, intentionally noticing the good, and getting clear about what you do want, you won’t just only minimize the discomfort of going back to work after a long weekend or vacation. You’ll also shift your energy so you can move beyond joining the 51% looking for a new job by finding a job that’s a perfect fit for you.